History 

Talbot Olivier is proud of its long history and the colourful and talented staff it has attracted to it over the years, laying the foundation for the diverse, responsive and practically based legal practice it is today. 

The firm was established in the mid-1920s by the late David Walsh, a leading criminal lawyer of his time.  As the firm grew into a small partnership, other notable partners to join were the late James Mazza, another leading criminal lawyer of the day, being a  and the Honourable Henry Wallwork QC, who left the partnership in 1965 to join the Western Australian Bar and was later appointed to the Supreme Court of Western Australia. 

The late Don Talbot became a partner in 1961 and continued to be an integral part of the firm until his retirement in 1996. 

Paul Olivier joined the firm in 1965 and became a partner some 18 months later.  Paul remains a key figure today, continuing as a senior principal practising in the areas of insurance, commercial, litigation, mining and liquor licensing, and also as in-house counsel and active administrator. 

Don and Paul together heralded in a new era, epitomised by a change in the existing firm's name to Talbot & Olivier in 1969. 

Guiding Talbot Olivier through its growth and into its new phase of providing legal services, Paul Kordic was managing principal from 1993 to 1999, and again from 2001 to 2008. 

Talbot Olivier today 

Talbot Olivier is owned by Integrated Legal Holdings Limited (ILH), which listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in August 2007. ILH was one of the first legal services companies to list on the Stock Exchange. The listing has defined new, innovative business structures for how legal firms can operate into the future. 

Leading Talbot Olivier through its revolutionary changes is current managing principal, Brendan Taylor, who has been with the firm since 1997 and practices in the Litigation and Defamation and Media groups.